25th May, 2024

1. The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) has officially dissolved the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB).
2. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed the status of Mangrove forests, using its Red List of Ecosystems (RLE).
3. The Zero Debris Charter (ZDC) is a significant initiative aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainability of human activities in Earth orbit
4. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has recently signed a deal to modernize the core banking technology of Burgan Bank, a leading commercial bank in Kuwait.
5. According to a recent report by a real estate consultancy firm, named JLL, the data centre industry in India will require an additional 10 million square feet of real estate space to accommodate this growth.
6. Researchers from University of Cambridge have developed a method for producing Zero-Carbon Cement.
7. The Indian government will be using the radiation process to address the projected onion shortage.
8. Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (TIA) has made history by becoming the first airport in India to achieve the Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWL) accolade.
9. The Shaw Prize consists of three annual prizes: Astronomy, Life Science and Medicine, and Mathematical Sciences.
10. World Schizophrenia Awareness Day
11. United Nations (UN) International Day of the Markhor
12. India-based, Biocon Limited, a pharmaceutical company, has recently signed an exclusive licensing and supply agreement with Handok, a specialty pharmaceutical company in South Korea.
13. Allamaye Halina has been appointed as the PM of Chad
14. The Delhi High Court has appointed retired judge Justice Najmi Waziri as the Chairperson of an ad-hoc Administrative Committee (AAC) of Equestrian Federation of India (EFI).
15. Air India has appointed Sanjay Sharma as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He will be succeeding Vinod Hejmadi, who is retiring after serving with Air India for more than three decades
16. The Heat Index (HI), introduced by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on an experimental basis, is a valuable tool that considers both temperature and humidity to calculate the apparent temperature or “feel like” temperature for human beings
17. AI agent: Unlike regular language models that only handle text, AI agents can interact with people using text, images, and voice in real-time.
18. Virupaksha temple is located in Hampi, Karnataka, a UNESCO World heritage site.

National News

1. MoWCD ‘officially’ dissolves Food and Nutrition Board
   • What: The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) has officially dissolved the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB).
   • Why: This decision is based on the recommendations from the Principal Economic Adviser’s report (published in 2020) on the rationalization of government bodies with a focus on Minimum government, maximum governance formula.
   • Tell me more:
     • About FNB:
       • It was responsible for providing technical and logistical support for functioning of community nutrition programmes.
       • A community nutrition program is a program that is designed to improve the nutritional status of a population group
     • It was originally established under the agriculture ministry, the FNB was later transferred to the WCD ministry in 1993.
       Source: Economic Times

International News

1. Over 50% of world’s mangroves at risk due to climate change: IUCN
   • What: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed the status of Mangrove forests, using its Red List of Ecosystems (RLE).
     • The IUCN’s Red List of Ecosystems (RLE) is a global tool for evaluating the health of ecosystems, determining their threat levels, and finding the best ways to manage them.
   • Tell me more (Key findings)
     • Risk Categories: Among the assessed mangroves, 50% are at risk of collapse, classified as Vulnerable. Nearly 20% are at high risk, classified as either Endangered or Critically Endangered.
     • Threats: Mangroves face threats from deforestation, development, pollution, and dam construction. Additionally, climate change contributes to their risk due to sea-level rise and more frequent severe storms.
       • Climate Impact: One-third (33%) of the assessed mangrove ecosystems are threatened by climate change.
       • Due to sea-level rise, 25% of global mangrove area is predicted to be submerged in the next 50 Years.
     • Status of Indian Mangroves: Andaman and Bay of Bengal (Least Concern), South India (Critically Endangered), West India (Vulnerable).
       Source: Business Standard

2. Twelve countries and European Space Agency (ESA) signed the Zero Debris Charter (ZDC)
   • What: The Zero Debris Charter (ZDC) is a significant initiative aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainability of human activities in Earth orbit.
     • Zero debris refers to the goal of having no space debris (Space debris include defunct satellites, spent rocket stages, and fragments from collisions) in Earth’s orbit.

   • Tell me more:
     • Signatories: Twelve nations have officially signed the Zero Debris Charter. Additionally, the European Space Agency (ESA) has also signed the charter as an International Organization.
       • India has not signed this charter.

     • Objective: The Zero Debris Charter aims to achieve debris neutrality in space by the year 2030.
     • Background: The ZDC was unveiled at the ESA Space Summit in Seville (Spain) meeting in November 2023.
       Source: ESA

Banking and Economy

1. Burgan Bank Selects TCS to Transform its Core Banking
   • What: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has recently signed a deal to modernize the core banking technology of Burgan Bank, a leading commercial bank in Kuwait.
     • Core banking refers to the essential services provided by a bank, which include managing customer accounts, processing transactions, handling deposits and withdrawals, managing loans and credit, and maintaining records of all these activities.
   • As part of this transformation, Burgan Bank will deploy the technology Solution of TCS named TCS BaNCS”.
     • TCS BaNCS is a core banking software suite developed by TCS for use by retail banks.
   • This upgrade will replace several old and separate software systems with one modern, all-in-one banking system.
     Source: TCS
2. Data centres in India may drive 10 mn sq ft real estate demand
   • What: According to a recent report by a real estate consultancy firm, named JLL, the data centre industry in India will require an additional 10 million square feet of real estate space to accommodate this growth.
     • A data centre is a large, secure building filled with computers and storage systems that businesses or organizations use to organize, process, store, and disseminate large amounts of data.

• Reasons for surge: The surge in demand is primarily driven by the rising adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), which leads to higher power consumption.
• Tell me more:
  • Investments and Capacity:
    • The data centre industry is expected to attract investments totalling $5.7 billion by 2026.
    • The data centre industry is projected to increase from 853 MW in 2023 to 1,645 MW by 2026 (an increase of 791 MW)
  • AI Usage and Demand:
    • As AI usage gains momentum, the demand for Indian data centres is expected to be in the range of 650-800 MW between 2024 and 2026.
  • Economic Impact:
    • India is poised to be the third-largest economy, with a projected $5 trillion GDP by 2027, with the digital economy contributing around 20 per cent.
      Source: Business Standard

Science and Technology

1. Zero-Carbon Cement
   • What: Researchers from University of Cambridge have developed a method for producing Zero-Carbon Cement.
   • Tell me more:
     • Producing cement is highly polluting, responsible for around 8% of total greenhouse gas emissions.
     • Making cement requires “clinker”, made by heating raw materials, including limestone and clay, to 1450°C.
       • Clinker production accounts for 90% of cement’s carbon footprint.
     • Newly developed process to make clinker involves reusing cement paste from demolished buildings and utilizing electric arc furnace which is used to recycle steel.

Source: Cambridge

Agriculture and Rural Development

1. The Government is planning radiation processing of onions to prevent shortages.
   • What: The Indian government will be using the radiation process to address the projected onion shortage.
     • Radiation Processing is a scientific method, which delays ripening, enhances shelf life by destruction of spoilage microbes, etc., which increases the shelf life of the product.
   • Tell me more:
     • Output Decline: India, the world’s largest exporter of onions, is expected to witness a 16% decline in onion output during the 2023-24 season due to lower yields in key growing states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.
     • Buffer Stock Creation: The government aims to create a buffer stock of 1,00,000 tonnes of radiation-processed onions this year.
       • To achieve this, they are identifying 50 irradiation centers near consumption areas. If successful, this stockpile will help stabilize onion availability and prices.
         Source: Business Standard

Awards

1. Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Becomes the 1st Airport to achieve ZWL Accolade
   • What: Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (TIA) has made history by becoming the first airport in India to achieve the Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWL) accolade.
     • The ZWL accolade is an environmental certification that recognizes an organization’s achievement in significantly reducing or completely eliminating waste sent to landfills.
   • Tell me more:
     • Awarded by: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII-ITC) Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development (CESD).
     • The ZWL assessment revealed that TIA has achieved 99.50% diversion of waste from landfills.
       Source: Economic Times
2. Indian-origin scientist wins prestigious Shaw Prize in astronomy for 2024
   • What: The Shaw Prize consists of three annual prizes: Astronomy, Life Science and Medicine, and Mathematical Sciences.
   • Shaw Prize also known as “Nobel of The East” is a award given annually by Shaw Prize
     Foundation
   • List of winners:

Source: Hindustan Times

Important Days

1. May 24: World Schizophrenia Awareness Day
   • What: World Schizophrenia Awareness Day is annually observed across the globe on 24 May
   • Why: To raise awareness about Schizophrenia, a serious mental illness affecting 24 million people worldwide.
   • A silver ribbon is worn as a symbol of support for people with schizophrenia and their families.
     Source: Indian Express
2. May 24: United Nations (UN) International Day of the Markhor
   • What: The first-ever United Nations (UN) International Day of the Markhor was observed across the globe on 24th May 2024
   • Why: To raise awareness and promote the conservation of Markhor (Capra falconeri), an iconic and ecologically significant species.
   • Tell me more:
     • Background: On 2nd May 2024, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution proclaiming 24th May of every year as the International Day of the Markhor.
     • Resolution sponsored by: Afghanistan, China, Hungary, Israel, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
     • About Markhor: The Markhor is the largest of the wild goat species in the world with broad hooves and spiral horns.
       • It is the national animal of Pakistan.
       • Markhor is a Persian word meaning “snake-eater” or “snake-killer.” It is also known as the screw horn or “screw-horned goat.
       • Generally found in Mountainous regions of Central and South Asia, including Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
       • The Markhor was categorized as “near threatened” in 2014.
         Source: UN

Memorandum of Understanding

1. Biocon signs licensing, supply deal for obesity drug in South Korea
   • What: India-based, Biocon Limited, a pharmaceutical company, has recently signed an exclusive licensing and supply agreement with Handok, a specialty pharmaceutical company in South Korea.
   • Why: The agreement is for the commercialization of a vaccine named ‘’Synthetic Liraglutide”, used in the treatment of chronic weight management.
   • Tell me more (Partnership Details)
     • Biocon’s Role: Biocon will be responsible for the development, manufacturing, and supply of the drug product.
     • Handok’s Role: Handok will handle regulatory approval and the commercialization of Synthetic Liraglutide in the South Korean market.
     • Market Opportunity: The total addressable market opportunity for Liraglutide in Korea is approximately US $47 million.
       Source: Business Standard

Appointment

1. Allamaye Halina as the new Prime Minister(PM) of the Republic of Chad
   • What: Allamaye Halina has been appointed as the PM of Chad
   • Also, Mahamat Déby Itno was sworn in as President of Chad.
     Source: Aljazeera

2. Justice Najmi Waziri was appointed as the Chairperson of Administrative Committee of EFI
   • What: The Delhi High Court has appointed retired judge Justice Najmi Waziri as the Chairperson of an ad-hoc Administrative Committee (AAC) of Equestrian Federation of India (EFI).
   • Why: The AAC will take charge of the day-to-day administration and functioning of the EFI, ensuring transparency and effective management.
   • Tell me more:
     • This committee also includes former Chief Election Commissioner of India Dr. S.Y. Quraishi as the observer and Advocate Rohini Musa as a member.
       Source: ANI
3. Air India appoints Sanjay Sharma CFO
   • What: Air India has appointed Sanjay Sharma as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He will be succeeding Vinod Hejmadi, who is retiring after serving with Air India for more than three decades.
     Source: Business Standard

Miscellaneous

1. Launch of Heat Index
   • What: The Heat Index (HI), introduced by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on an experimental basis, is a valuable tool that considers both temperature and humidity to calculate the apparent temperature or “feel like” temperature for human beings
   • Colour codes used for HI
     • Green: HI less than 35 °C
     • Yellow: HI between 36-45 °C
     • Orange: HI between 46-55 °C
     • Red: HI greater than 55 °C
2. AI Agent
   • What: Unlike regular language models that only handle text, AI agents can interact with people using text, images, and voice in real-time.
   • They use sensors to understand their surroundings, then process this information with advanced algorithms or AI models and take appropriate actions.
   • AI agents can learn from the context of interactions, helping them give more relevant and personalized responses.

3. Virupaksha Temple
   • Virupaksha temple is located in Hampi, Karnataka, a UNESCO World heritage site.
   • Why in news: Recenlty, the temple’s pavilion or the saalu mantap was damaged, which the Archaeological Survey of India is redeveloping.
     Source: Indian Express

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